The fact is that everything I have in my pockets is carefully chosen so Iโll always be prepared. Everything is there so I can be at an advantage at the moment of truth. Actually, thatโs not accurate. Everythingโs there so I wonโt be at a disadvantage at the moment of truth.
Etgar KeretI usually start writing stories from tone and not from content - kind of like people who create music and invent the lyrics later on.
Etgar KeretTo what extent does anybody control his destiny? Life is very much like falling of the edge of a cliff. You have complete freedom to make all the choices you want to take on your way down. My characters choose to yearn and not lose hope even when the odds are completely against them. It doesn't make the landing at the end of that fall any less painful but, somehow, it helps them keep a little dignity their bone broken body.
Etgar KeretI see creative-writing classes as some sort of AA meeting. It is more of a support group for people who write than an actual course in which you learn writing skills. This support group is extremely important because there is something very lonely about writing.
Etgar KeretNobody else in the world would look at writing as craftsmanship - it's totally this Protestant hardworking ethic. You go into this kind of infinite space of imagination and you fence yourself in with all kinds of laws.
Etgar KeretWhen I write, I never know the endings. What I think works in [my] stories is the fact that when I write, I really want to find out what is going on-I'm writing for myself as a reader. It's like when you dream a dream. I want to know what's behind the door. If I navigate, it's from a place that's totally intuitive.
Etgar Keret